engulf

[ en-guhlf ]
See synonyms for: engulfengulfed on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)
  1. to swallow up in or as in a gulf; submerge: The overflowing river has engulfed many small towns along its banks.

  2. to plunge or immerse, as into a gulf: He engulfed himself in his studies.

Origin of engulf

1
First recorded in 1545–55; en-1 + gulf
  • Also in·gulf [in-guhlf] /ɪnˈgʌlf/ .

Other words for engulf

Other words from engulf

  • en·gulf·ment, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use engulf in a sentence

  • Continually under them the footing shifted; sullen logs menaced them with crushing or complete engulfment in their grinding mill.

    The Rules of the Game | Stewart Edward White
  • Beyond, the opaqueness was massive; to penetrate thither seemed horrible, an entrance into it appeared like an engulfment.

    Les Misrables | Victor Hugo
  • This engulfment is the sepulchre which assumes a tide, and which mounts from the depths of the earth towards a living man.

    Les Misrables | Victor Hugo
  • Should he impose his galleys on those two dazzling children, or should he consummate his irremediable engulfment by himself?

    Les Misrables | Victor Hugo
  • And for this immense engulfment, this supreme victory of life over death, what was needed?

    Napoleon the Little | Victor Hugo

British Dictionary definitions for engulf

engulf

ingulf

/ (ɪnˈɡʌlf) /


verb(tr)
  1. to immerse, plunge, bury, or swallow up

  2. (often passive) to overwhelm: engulfed by debts

Derived forms of engulf

  • engulfment, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012